Today in Austin, Texas, there was some rain, so it was a good day to relax and reflect.  This blog post is one of my occasional round-ups of thoughts and things about your sometimes somewhat humble blogger.  Although in 10 days we’ll be at the mid-point of 2018, and I’ll be taking a closer look at my data from the walking, writing (blog and book), yoga and of course, bicycling, I wanted to update faithful readers, family and friends of just what is up with A Dude Abikes.

Interview #2 is Forthcoming Soon!

The big news for me is that yesterday, I sat down to talk with my second interview subject!  We had not met so it was a bit more intense for both of us than if we had already been acquainted.  But this person is very dynamic and blunt, and has no problem talking about themself.  It was fun I think for both of us, and I believe it will turn out very nice once we get the pictures done and hopefully do a fun ride together.  (Hey you, if you’re reading, thank you again!)

I won’t say more because I want to keep you in suspense.  But on top of that, there are several other people in the queue to interview, which is also exciting.  My goal is two-fold:  to write less about myself and tell the stories of some fascinating people, and to compile enough profiles of bicyclists to have a second book.  Time will tell.  (If you haven’t read both parts of my interview with the awesome, handsome and genuinely nice David Walker, please do so here now!  Part 1  and Part 2.)

I Didn’t Study but Aced My Lab Tests

Another development in my ongoing journey as a fathlete bicyclist is that the latest lab test results came back.  My blood shows that I’m in the normal range for all but a few of them.  That doesn’t explain some issues I’ve been having, namely fatigue.  The obvious reason for that is that I just do too much and don’t rest enough!  The stress of joblessness probably doesn’t help.  But the labs give me some peace of mind that at least what has been tested shows that I’m in decent shape, despite the extra amount of A Dudeness.

Like I said in a previous post (Un-Fat is Not All That…), those of use with some extra padding survive hospital stays and infections way better than you skinny people.  I’ll probably go into the health aspect more in the January-June wrap-up post in early July.  Don’t get me wrong, losing weight is still a good idea — if you can do it and keep it off is the hard part.  Despite all the activity, my weight is still pretty much the same, sadly.  I do plan to lose all of my weight at once, though… when I die.  Hopefully not any time soon.

There’s also some pain happening in various areas of the body.  Obviously, bicycling in the Central Texas heat creates a lot of wear and tear on A Dude’s old bod. I received one massage and two acupuncture treatments recently, which helped a little.  I need to do both regularly as well as get back on the foam roller and take Epsom salt baths to really get ahead of the hurt.  Nothing against student clinic massages, but if I can ever get the money together, I would benefit from professional treatment. One of the many costs of being an aging athlete.

Food Stuff

That’s probably because as they say, abs are built in the kitchen, and I’m not doing that well in the food department.  Thus the lack of food photos.  I have kept up with not eating processed grain, which is a major improvement, but why should I if it’s not doing anything?  At the same time, maybe to compensate, I have noticed myself craving and eating sugar more.  That needs to change somehow, but it’s a lifelong challenge for everyone as far as I know.  So far there is no magic pill to end our international cravings for and addiction to sugar.  But it is highly bad for us and yet, it’s not heroin or booze or…

Today I made a more concerted effort to eat well, so I took photos of these meals.  Not shown is alot of other stuff I ate:  ice cream; more cheese; another banana; turkey slices with hummus on rice cakes; sunflower seeds with raisins; and a fruit ice.  It’s actually fairly healthy, but way too much for a day I’m not expending thousands of calories on the bike.  I’m a work in progress, don’t judge!  Alot of my eating too much is probably due to…

Sleepy Time

Like many of us, my sleepy time could be a lot better.  I got some Chinese herbs from the acupuncturist, but they only help when I remember to take them.  It’s mostly that I’m burning the candle at both ends between my 10 hours of bicycling per week and two hours of walking-yogacizing-writing per day (the latter of which often takes a lot more time).  Writing late at night as I am I know doesn’t help.  Who knew light that was blue wasn’t good for you?  It’s true.

That’s at least 24 hours – or one whole day of the week – that I’m working on my fitness and writing regime.  I’ve never thought of it like that, but it explains a lot about why I’m tired.  Doing laundry, errands, dishes, and the other things life requires, plus job hunting, watching the World Cup or a movie or show to relax – it’s no wonder I don’t have any energy.  A better mattress wouldn’t hurt either.  But that takes money, and…

I Need Income v. a J-O-B

The job hunt is a mixed bag.  I’ve attended a really good few events to do networking, even chatting with an Austin City Councilmember I have met a few times. My LinkedIn contacts have passed 800, and I’ve got a few irons in the fire for possible income opportunities that don’t suck.  Hopefully one in particular will work out, but it requires a car, and that’s not a long-term option for me right now.  Plus after 13 years (Not) a Slave to Cars, it would be a major switch for me. If I could make my writing this blog (or write for others) pay – without having to spend hours a day on social media – I would.  One option is working at home so I don’t have to commute by bicycle.

By the way, did you know that the word “employee” comes from the French word meaning “to use”?  So if you have an employer, they are by definition using you!  It’s also a fact that most jobs a non-technical person like me can get in Austin do not usually pay a living wage.  So that’s a big challenge.  The race is on to do *something* before my reserves run out so that I do not have to sell or store all my possessions, move outside to live in a tent and do dumpster diving.  Hopefully I can create income streams and attract abundance ASAP!  If you have ideas, especially if you are friends with an unmarried, hot Hollywood, celebrity actress with too much money who is looking for someone outside of show business to hang out with, please let me know!

I Can Bike for Miles and Miles and…

In more positive news, let me tell you about my bicycling.  After a super awesome May, in which I did my second highest mileage to date (543 with one week at 184.5 miles), my body has decided that taking it easy in June is what is needed.  Plus, it’s hard to watch the World Cup on a bicycle (unless it’s the indoor trainer, which I don’t like for the loud noise and damage to my tires, but if it keeps raining and as it gets hotter, I may set it up again soon).  But as a wise man once told me, when I wanted to do a long ride but wasn’t ready for it and the weather was bad, it’s important to “live to ride another day.”

For those who don’t know or remember, I was planning on bicycling 3,000 miles for the year.  So far, I am on track to ride 4,000.  My mileage goal is an important motivator for me, and I’ve been told my 10,000 miles in two years has inspired more than a few people.  My total since I began really counting is up to about 15,000 in 3.5 years, but the first year was not recorded on Strava.  

*As always, you may find all my activities, more pictures, clever titles, and stats there and also follow me if you join up.) 

A random number is not the end-all, be-all of my bicycling practice.  The point is to be a bit healthier, have fun, meet cool people, encourage others, and write about it.  Time will tell whether I can or choose to continue.  I certainly need a new bike.  (Please refer to previous comment about introducing me to a sexy, single, successful starlet.)

Book It, Dude-O!

The book about my two years of bicycling a lot is coming along.  I’m at the part where I went on what for me was a pretty epic trip, so describing that day by day is fun but is piling up the word count.  I’m about 37.5% done with the first draft, so that’s a good sign after just starting in late March.  I have one beta reader who has not responded and I need to keep looking for more anyway.  There are other activities I want to do like read books about writing books, join a writer’s group, go to readings by authors, and mostly just read a lot more.  So far, just writing daily 500 words or more is what I can manage, and I’m OK with that.

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Well, that’s all for this update! Thanks for reading.  Come back on Friday for another exciting chapter of… A Dude Abikes.

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